Creamy Cauliflower Bacon Soup

February 21, 2013

Creamy Cauliflower Bacon Soup

I’ve been on a major cauliflower kick recently. Maybe I’m weird but I love simply eating it raw dipped in a bit of white bean hummus or even some sweet chili sauce. It has such a great snappy texture and neutral flavor. It also makes some of the best soup. Every time I made cauliflower soup I declare it one of my favorites. The texture is thick, creamy and silky and it absorbs other flavors so well. It really is the perfect ingredient for making a “cream” soup without the cream.

You would never know that this soup has no cream. I did add some 2% milk at the end to thin it out but the recipe can easily be made dairy free by using soy or almond milk. The bacon fat adds a smoky richness that compliments the cauliflower perfectly. Garnishing the soup with more bacon adds that salty meaty flavor that really does make everything better.

In a large dutch oven, render the fat from the bacon over low heat. Once there's a good amount of fat in the pan, turn the heat up slightly and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove it to drain on paper towels. Discard all but approximately 2-3 tablespoons of the bacon fat.

Add the chopped onion, garlic and celery to the pan with a pinch of salt and sweat the vegetables for several minutes on medium-low heat. Once they're soft, add the cauliflower and turn up the heat to medium. Cook the vegetables for a few more minutes, stirring periodically, until the cauliflower has softened up. Add the chicken stock and thyme. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover the pot and lower the heat. Allow the soup to simmer on low heat for 45 minutes.

Remove the thyme stems and carefully ladle the soup into a blender. Puree until silky. Return the soup to the pot and add the milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Reheat the reserved bacon briefly, dice finely and use it to garnish each bowl of soup.

I’ve been on a cauliflower kick lately, too! I saw on the news the other day that cauliflower and broccoli were about to get expensive because of weird weather and I was like, “Nooooooooo!” Anyway- this soup needs to happen for lunch today. Oh yes it does.

As soon as I saw the words creamy cauliflower bacon soup” in the subject column of my email I was hooked. I knew I’d have to make this. I’m on holiday right now, but as soon as we land back home I’m off to the market to get the stuff. Can’t wait.

Not weird at all! I love cauliflower too…raw or cooked. And I’m sure it is especially delicious in this soup. Love the bacon! Thank you for sharing sweet friend. I’m nursing a bit of a cold, and this post warmed me right up. I hope you are having a happy end to your week!

This is right up my alley! I love cauliflower. Though I don’t eat it raw, I like to steam it for just a couple minutes to soften it slightly. This soup is perfect for this horrible cold weather. It looks so comforting.

Delicious! I made this for dinner tonight but made it, inadvertently, very decadent. The first change was pure laziness (left all the bacon grease in the pan) and the second was because I didn’t realize until the moment that the milk was needed that I’d forgotten to grab it at the store today- so I used half and half. Lovely! I may have ruined myself for your healthier version though…

Nothing says comfort to me more than a big bowl of delicious soup! I love cauliflower too! I throw cauliflower into my leek and potato soup and use it all the time in pasta and casseroles too. . I am definitely trying this recipe!! love this!

Hmmm… I’m not sure. I think you could use frozen cauliflower in a pinch but since it’s such a prominent ingredient, I really recommend using fresh cauliflower if possible. Frozen vegetables are fine for eating and for adding into recipes whole, but they do lose water when frozen/defrosted, so I think that could potentially change the texture of the soup. The soup should be very creamy at the end and I suspect that using frozen cauliflower might make it slightly grainy. But I could be wrong!

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